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The Ailon Nova Guard
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Galaxy at War See also: GaW Military Units Some societies are founded on commerce, science, or art. The people of Ailon worship fighting, and their military, The Ailon Nova Guard- is one of the finest in the galaxy. Nearly 13,000 years ago, Ailon became a member of the Republic. Its people quickly realized that the eons of warfare they had endured on their homeworld had forged them into warriors without equal- at least, when compared to the other Species that made up the galactic confederation. Initially contemptuous of Humans, Duros, and others, the Ailon soon grew to respect the Republic's superior technology and realized that they could serve the cause of war by fighting the Republic's enemies. The Ailon Nova Guard hired out its services to the Republic's Supreme Chancellor and used the credits it earned to sustain its homeworld, allowing more Ailon to move from sustenance farming into the military. The Ailon Nova Guard remained separate from the Republic Army. As a special combat detachment, its members saw service only when the Republic's need was great and when the Republic military had room for them in its annual budget. The Republic did away with its standing military after the Ruusan Reformation in 1000 BBY, and the Nova Guard filled the gap. However, the group could not hide its disgust with a government that had pulled out its own fangs. The rise of the Empire suited the Nova Guard. Having fought under too-lenient Jedi commanders in Clone Wars debacles such as the Battles of Bassadro and Ord Canfre, The Ailon Nova Guard gravitated toward Emperor Palpatine. Under his orders, they slaughtered The Mandalorian Protectors at Norval II, and the Ailon High Marshal welcomed the chance to further serve the galaxy's iron-fisted ruler. The feeling was not mutual. Emperor Palpatine and his officers sneered at these non-Humans with delusions of superiority, and they refrained from wiping out Ailon only after the act was deemed an inefficient use of the Empire's resources. Instead, the Empire kept the Nova Guard occupied by sending them on suicide missions. The Ailon High Marshal treated these assignments as great honors, believing the daunting odds to be a sign of the Imperial military's deep respect. The Empire's scheme backfired when the Nova Guard began winning even these impossible battles. To prevent further embarrassments, the Empire dramatically cut back on Nova Guard activities, leaving the people of Ailon with no outlet but to direct their energy into the annual Ailon Military Celebrations. This string of events, encompassing parades, air shows, ceremonial duels, weapons displays, war games, and salutes to the martial traditions of other cultures, drew tourists from across The Inner Rim and allowed the Nova Guard to keep its units in top shape. With no active combat killing off Nova Guard soldiers, the high reproduction rate of the Ailon soon swelled their military past its capacity. At its height, The Ailon Nova Guard numbered close to a billion strong. Whole regiments were reassigned solely to the task of training new recruits. After the Empire showed its weakness by losing the Battle of Endor, the Nova Guard volunteered its services to the victorious New Republic. Setting on its former Imperial with ferocity, the Nova Guard helped The New Republic eradicate Imperial forces in The Inner Rim. As their successes mounted, the Nova Guard moved on to target the Empire's fortress worlds in The Mid Rim. The New Republic kept The Ailon Nova Guard steadily employed, always aware that the mercenaries could turn on them at the first sign of weakness. This prediction proved true during the first years of the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion. Awed by the invaders' military might, the Nova Guard helped the Yuuzhan Vong conquer The Inner Rim. Their actions earned the planet Ailon crippling economic sanctions in the postwar era. Methods Members of The Ailon Nova Guard are drilled from birth in military history and tactics. They prize physical toughness and believe in survival of the fittest. This near-religious devotion to martial traditions ensures that the soldiers of the Nova Guard are professional under every circumstance. Cowards are uncovered (And executed) long before they have a chance to shame their regiments in combat. The Ailon Nova Guard organizes itself into divisions and regiments based on the disciples of land armies. While the Nova Guard includes sea and air specialities, these mercenaries find no glory in the sterile coldness of space warfare. The specializations of the Nova Guard cover the gamut of planetary war. Antiaircraft divisions operate missile batteries. Repulsorlift divisions pilot atmospheric gunships and speeder transports. Artillery divisions drive Weapon Emplacements to fire on enemy fortifications. Armor divisions crew tanks and personnel carriers. Naval divisions deploy aquatic troopers and submersibles. Infantry divisions, known for their full-body armor, are skilled with blasters but take special pride in the Eklot, a Short Sword treated with a fast-acting neurotoxin. Each soldier of The Ailon Nova Guard is issued a Blaster Rifle (To which is affixed a Vibrobayonet), a Sidearm Blaster Pistol, and a Grenade Launcher. In battle, Nova Guard divisions work together to systematically outthink, outflank, and overwhelm their enemy; individual soldiers often are shocked by the relative inexperience of their foes. Missions As a mercenary force, The Ailon Nova Guard takes nearly every job offered, for fear of falling out of practice. However, the Nova Guard's asking price is high, ensuring that the group receives only offers that are suited to a military force of its remarkable size and experience. For thousands of years, the Nova Guard aided the Republic in beating back Hutt incursions and in taming savage worlds on the galactic fringe. Often, such missions involved exhausting a planet's military over weeks or months while Republic negotiators gained a foothold in the capital. Other times, it took only days for the Nova Guard to force the enemy's surrender. During the Empire's reign, Nova Guard soldiers were little more than cannon fodder. Imperial commanders threw them against entrenched hostiles in the hope that their annihilation would provide insight into the enemy's composition and tactics. After millions of honorable deaths, the Nova Guard began adopting scouting and ambush tactics. This development turned what appeared to be certain routs into unlikely victories, including the toppling of King Satyr Azzlectico and the Sundering of Slession. The Nova Guard's New Republic missions were less suicidal. Nova Guard regiments operated alongside The New Republic military to provide muscle and knowledge of Imperial tactics. The Yuuzhan Vong Invasion promoted yet another flip, as The Ailon Nova Guard switched sides and led Yuuzhan Vong vanguards against soft spots in the defenses of Cona, Manaan, and Zeltros. Whatever Ailon's changing alliances with the rest of the galaxy, the Ailon Military Celebrations provide an outlet in which even inactive soldiers can participate in simulated combat. The most prominent war game during the festivities involves three Ailon armies- Ethromite, Oridium, and Feldspar- that seize and hold an island continent until the final minute of the closing ceremonies. Rank Structure A minimum five-year tour of duty in The Ailon Nova Guard is mandatory for every able-bodied citizen. So central is combat to Ailon culture that those who are rejected for service- or worse, expelled from the ranks- exile themselves from their homeworld in disgrace. New inductees into the Nova Guard receive the rank of Guardsman. They are considered active-duty combat personnel even while they undergo training. Promotion within the ranks gives Nova Guard soldiers increasing command responsibilities: Corporals lead sections (40 soldiers), Lieutenants lead platoons (Six sections), Majors lead companies (Eight platoons), and Lieutenant Colonels lead battalions (Eight companies). Among land-based army units, Colonels command regiments (Made up of two or more battalions). The equivalent rank among air and sea divisions is Brigadier, with a similar-sized formation called a brigade. Each Nova Guard division (Six regiments) is led by a Major General, and corps are commanded by Field Marshals. All Field Marshals from across the planet make up the Ailon Marshalate, an elite command force that doubles as a ruling council. The supreme ruler of The Ailon Nova Guard- and of the planet itself- is the High Marshal of Ailon. The Ailon First Honors Platoon is the most celebrated unit of the Nova Guard. During the annual Ailon Military Celebrations, each Guardsman of the First Honors Platoon carries a banner emblazoned with at least 30 battle honors, each of which commemorates a legendary war in the group's 13,000-year history. Currently, the celebrations pay tribute to more than 7,200 battle honors, and The Ailon Nova Guard doesn't intend to stop there.